So my truck just turned over 30k miles and it will be out of warranty very soon... I noticed last week that the very top of the steering wheel is starting to feel rough and the leather is peeling.

My question is- is this a common issue with these trucks? I don't have rough hands or wear rings or anything so it seems strange that it would wear like this. Will a dealer replace/fix it under warranty or tell me I did it and it's my fault?

 

You know what they always fall back on, "Normal wear". I have a leather steering cover and have not noticed any wear but I do not have the miles yours has yet. Could it be the sun baking the leather dry enough to make it brittle? I would certainly try to make them replace it. Nothing on the truck should wear out this quick. Good luck.

 

I took it in, the tech glanced at it and then ordered a new one. They're going to call me when it's in.

Either this is an awesome dealer or GM might actually be standing behind a product... Whaaattt?

 

Glad your dealer did the right thing. I've noticed my dealer seems to be more receptive to problems now instead of just brushing them off as they used to. Maybe they're finally realizing that customer service is important.

 

I always say that a dealer's service department sells more new cars than their sales department

 

Seeing as how I work at a Chevy store, I can vouch I have seen stranger wear issues than this. The one thing to note is, every time someone gets a worn item warrantied like this, it puts the dealer in the hot seat because GM will call up and ask for that old part to be drop shipped right to Warren Michigan where they will inspect it. If deemed unworthy of a "manufacturer defect" or abnormal/premature wear, the dealer possibly faces a warranty claim debit, and the dealer eats the repair. In this instance though, the pitting and wear in the leather is not normal wear.

The one thing that might cause this though, is if you use any type of hand lotion or hand sanitizer. Either/both of those can cause unpredictable reactions with the materials the interior is made out of. I've seen some strange stuff before from hand lotion ... Glad they fixed it though

 

I had that problem with my Grand Marquis, but at much higher mileage. I bought one of those leather wheel covers and used it until it finally fell apart. My Sierra has the cheap plastic wheel, stopped at advance auto the first day I had it and bought a leather cover for it. I think the sun causes the problem, but it should have lasted longer.

 

They took it in and replaced it no problem... At least now I know that I need to be careful of what lotion I put on when driving my TRUCK!!! Lol

 

Good to hear.

 

Damn I wish I took my truck in while it was still in warranty. My wheel looks like hell now